Hearts in Overdrive
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Did anyone else ever wonder how Andrew knew about the Rangers? This gives one possible explanation.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Did anyone else ever wonder how Andrew knew so much about the Rangers?

* * *

"I'm still not sure that this is such a good idea, Jase," the brunette said to the young man sitting next to her on the helicopter.

"Where else are you going to find peace from all those reporters?" Jason asked, draping an arm around the slender shoulders of his childhood friend.

"I just wish they'd leave me alone. It wasn't my fault. I didn't know she'd been doing drugs." Her head fell against his chest.

"I know that, Firebird. You never would have let her behind the wheel if you had known." Jason rubbed her arm, pulling her in close. "I just wish you'd quit beating yourself up over the whole thing. You couldn't have saved that family."

"They didn't deserve dying that way." Kim felt the tears burning her eyes again. She nestled into Jason's shoulder, closing her eyes against them.

Jason felt her start shaking and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Don't cry, Kim. It's all over now. You'll be safe at your uncle's."

* * *

"The helicopter is approaching now, sir. It will be there in about five minutes," Spencer announced, walking into the Command Center.

Andrew Hartford picked up a towel as he turned to his butler. "Thank you, Spencer. Where's Mack?"

"Right here, Dad. I can't wait to see Kimberly again."

"Just remember, Mack, your cousin's had a rough go of things lately. Don't get too excited. She's here to get away from the reporters that have been hounding her since the accident."

"Mr. Hartford, did you forget that Mr. Cranston is coming today to perform maintenance on the computer systems?" Spencer asked as the father and son headed for the door.

"I had. Thank you, Spencer. I hope that I'll have Kimberly situated in the guest house before he gets here. But even if I don't I'm sure that my niece will be happy to see her old friend again."

The two of them left the Command Center to wait for the helicopter's approach.

* * *

Watching the helicopter approach, Andrew and Mack were worried about the young lady on board. Andrew thought about the phone call he'd gotten about his niece's car crash.FLASHBACK 

"_Mr. Hartford, I am calling to inform you that your niece has been in a car crash." _

"How badly is she injured?" Andrew's heart had jumped into his throat. 

"_She suffered a broken leg. Badly broken, I'm afraid. From the knee to ankle in her left leg is almost completely shattered. The right leg is broken as well but not as badly," the doctor informed him sounding almost like he was actually sorry that he had to deliver this news. "I'm more worried about her mental state at the current moment. She's blaming herself for the accident and not even her friend seems able to bring her out of her depression. The reporters aren't helping matters any either."_

"_What do you mean, doctor?" _

"_The press keeps hounding her. They act as if it's a miracle that she survived when no one else did. We've had to ban all reporters from the floor she's on."_

"_If you think it would help, I'll send my helicopter to pick her up."_

"_That might be a help. She needs to get away from here and find someplace to hide for a while. Her friend, Jason, is here but he can't seem to break through to her. She's been so depressed that I'm almost afraid of what she might do if she's left alone."_

"_She's that badly depressed? I'll have my helicopter pick her up within two days. Can you have her ready to go?"_

"_She could actually be checked out of the hospital today. Her leg is still in a cast but she could leave the hospital." The doctor's words amazed Andrew. His niece was depressed and no one seemed able to bring her out of it._

"_I'll be there." Hanging up the phone, Andrew sat down, his head settling into his hands. Poor Kimberly._

FLASHBACK ENDS 

He turned to his son and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget, Mack. Your cousin's had a rough go of it lately. Don't bother her."

"I won't, Dad. I'm just glad she coming here."

The older man smiled. "So am I, Mack."

The helicopter touched down and Andrew stepped forward. When the blades stopped spinning, a young man hopped out of the chopper and turned to help a petite brunette.

The young man turned as Andrew approached. "Hello, Mr. Hartford. Good to see you again."

"Hello, Jason. It's good of you to help my niece this way." He turned to the brunette. "Kimberly, it's been such a long time."

"I know, Uncle Andrew. I'm sorry." Andrew wrapped his arms around the young woman and pulled her in close, letting her know that he didn't hold a grudge.

"You're here now. That's what matters." As he stepped back, Jason reached to steady Kimberly who wobbled slightly on her cast.

"Thanks, Rex," she smiled as she clutched at his arm.

"Kimmy!" Mack exclaimed, stepping up to greet his cousin.

"Mack!" Leaning into her cousin as she hugged him, Kim sighed. "The last time I saw you, you had just turned thirteen."

"No embarrassing stories!" Mack protested.

"Not unless you start it," she chuckled.

Mack made sure that his cousin was steady before backing completely away from her. "You okay, Kim?"

"What did your dad tell you about my accident?"

"That your leg was pretty busted up and the press wouldn't leave you alone."

"Well, there's more to it but I'll explain later. In the meantime, why don't you tell me about your life as a Ranger so far?"

"How did you know?"

"You guys did that interview. Didn't anyone tell you about the three rules of being a Ranger?"

Mack looked at his cousin with a puzzled look on his face. "Three rules? I think Tommy forgot about that."

"Tommy? As in …?"

"Dr. Tommy Oliver. The man who helped me set up my entire Command Center. Along with Billy Cranston."

"Billy? Billy's in on this too?" Kimberly looked pale as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Billy and Tommy. It figures. Those two being in the thick of this just doesn't surprise me at all." Jason chuckled but stopped as Kim clutched at his arm.

"I can't see him, Jase. I just can't." Her voice was barely more than a whisper but Jason heard it clearly.

"Kim, you can do this." He bent his head to kiss the top of hers again. "If you don't want to see him, we can make sure that you don't." He looked up at Andrew. "Can't we, Mr. Hartford?"

"Of course. If that's really what you want, Kim."

"I can't face him right now, Uncle Andrew. I just can't. It still hurts too much."

"Anyway, you guys were about to tell me about these three rules of being a Ranger," Mack piped up, trying to change the subject.

"First rule is that you must keep your identity as Rangers a secret. Secondly, you can never escalate a battle unless the enemy forces you to. Third and finally, you can never use your powers for personal gain." Jason and Kimberly started walking toward the house with Andrew and Mack.

"How do you know?" Mack asked.

"We were Power Rangers once. Jason was the first Red and I was the original Pink."

"Wow! My little cousin a Power Ranger. Who'd have ever guessed?"

"Obviously we kept our secret well. We haven't told anyone in almost sixteen years."

"Tommy hasn't been so good at keeping secrets though. He made a video about the Rangers while he was with the Dino Thunder team."

"Tommy was a Ranger with them? Which color?" Jason asked.

"Black," whispered Kimberly. "I recognized his fighting style. He was the Black Ranger."

"Right you are, Kim. He was the Black Ranger and their mentor." Kim looked at her uncle and then looked away quickly. "Are you alright, Kim?"

"It's so hard to hide anything from you. You could always read me better than anyone except Jason." She stepped away from Jason and took a deep breath.

"Kim, don't. You know that the Power isn't stable. You know you shouldn't be using it."

"Jason, Dulcea told me that my Power is strong. That it will protect me when I need it to."

"It might be strong but it isn't stable. Kim, she told you not to push the Power too far. Or did you conveniently forget that part?"

"Of course I didn't forget. I know exactly what she told me. You need to remember that she's been training me for years."

"Kim, she's been training you through your dreams. You and I both know that there's a world of difference between the dream world and the real one."

"Of course I know!" Kim was practically shouting now. She looked down at the ground. When she spoke again, her voice seemed full of tears. "In the dream world, I still have Tommy and he doesn't hate me."

"Kim, he doesn't hate you. He just doesn't know what was going on in your life then."

"It doesn't matter. He probably never wants to see me again."

"You don't know just how wrong you are, honey."

Andrew wasn't about to tell his niece about all the nights he'd spent sitting up, keeping an eye on the young man who still loved her more than his own life. Tommy had spent numerous nights sitting in Andrew's den, drinking until he was nearly unconscious and mourning the loss of his relationship with Kimberly.

"I don't think he would want to talk to me now anyway."

Suddenly, the four of them found themselves surrounded by lava lizards. Mack stepped in front of Kimberly and his father. "Rangers, I need help out here!" he called into his communicator. "Dad, get them out of here!" he said just before he morphed.

Andrew looked around and saw that there was no way to get out of there and back to the house. He simply held on to Kimberly to keep her steady as Jason and Mack dropped into defensive stances.

Kim tried to step away from Andrew to join the fight but he kept her close. "Stay back, Firebird!" Jason yelled as he knocked one of the creatures away.

"Jase, I can help!" She pulled away from Andrew and stood tall. Jason had no chance to stop her and Andrew could only watch helplessly as Kimberly made a gesture and suddenly stood before them in full Ninjetti uniform.

* * *

"Rangers, I need help out here!" Six heads snapped to look up at the monitor.

"Lava Lizards!" Rose and Ronnie exclaimed, running to the monitor.

"It's Jason!" A sandy haired young man turned to a man with short, spiked dark hair. "Jason's here."

"Does anyone know who the girl is next to Andrew?" Dax asked.

"Yeah, she's cute," Will nodded. The dark-haired man looked closely at the monitor, seeing her morph as he watched.

"Billy, is that …?" asked the dark-haired man.

"Kimberly." Billy turned to see the team morphed, catching Tommy bolting out of the Command Center out of the corner of his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Kimberly has arrived at her uncle's house and realized that Tommy was part of the Overdrive set up. We know now that Kimberly can still morph.

* * *

Kim jumped into the battle. Moments later, she saw Tommy and Billy join the battle with the other Rangers, Tommy taking his usual position at Jason's back.

Her heart skipped a beat. _'Tommy!'_ He was just as handsome as she remembered. _'He cut his hair.'_

Her momentary distraction was all the opening the lizards needed. She was thrown backwards, landing unconscious at Billy's feet. The Power slipped, leaving her unprotected. Tommy felt his heart pounding in fear as he watched her fall. _'Some things never change.'_

"Billy, Andrew, get her out of here!" Tommy yelled.

Billy knelt beside his petite friend and, after a quick check of her vitals, he gathered her in his arms and headed for the house with Andrew right behind him.

* * *

After the battle, Tommy, Jason and the Rangers went back to the Command Center. Tommy was quiet. He couldn't believe SHE was here.

Had Andrew invited her here in the hopes of pushing a confrontation? If so, what did he hope would happen?

It wasn't like he didn't want to know what had happened but he was finally starting to move on. Why drag up the past now?

"Tommy? Hey, Tommy." Jason tapped his old friend on the shoulder. "The last time I saw you like this was just before I left for the conference." He chuckled.

Tommy shook his head with a sad look on his face. "I lost her, Jase."

"She just didn't think you'd understand." Tommy looked at his friend with a question clearly written on his face. "She felt like she was losing you to the Power. She felt like she didn't belong anymore. She wrote the letter as her way of trying to find out if you were still her White Knight." Jason shook his head. "You lost her, but not to another guy. You lost her because you failed to respond to the letter. She dropped out of gymnastics and gave up on almost everything when you didn't even call to see if the letter was true."

"What do you mean she gave up?" Tommy couldn't believe it. Kimberly never gave up on anything. She always fought through to the end of any battle.

'Think about it, man. She didn't hear from you very often and she didn't hear from the others at all. She started feeling like she wasn't important to you anymore. That was when some idiot on the team gave her the idea of writing that stupid letter. They told her that it would either prove that you loved her still by getting you to call or come down there or prove that you weren't interested in her anymore."

"And I let her down."

"You did in a big way. When Emily and I left here after I lost the Gold Powers, we went to Florida. You wouldn't believe how I found her."

"How?" Tommy was starting to feel bad. Why hadn't he at least called her to ask her what was going on? Why had he just run off to go skiing with Kat and Billy as if it didn't matter that she'd dumped him?

"When we first arrived, the coach told us that, one day, she just packed up, said her goodbyes and walked away from the complex. We asked everyone, whether they were on the team or just worked with it, until her roommate told us that she'd said she couldn't stay in Miami anymore because it reminded her of everything she'd lost because of a dream that just wasn't worth it anymore. The young woman gave us her address. She was living in an efficiency apartment in Orlando and working two jobs just to get by."

"What? Why?"

"She thought she was alone. You see, Kim had called her mother and told her that she wanted to come and live with her in Paris because she just couldn't take the stress of the training anymore and her mother said that she had to continue. She couldn't give up just because of a little stress. That was when Kim packed up and left Miami. When Emily and I found her she was in bad shape."

Jason's mind drifted back to his friend's predicament when he and Emily had knocked on her door.

FLASHBACK 

"_Kim? Kim, it's me. Kimberly?" Jason pushed the door open. The sight that greeted his eyes would be burned in his mind forever. _

_Kimberly was trying to fight off a large man who had her pinned to the floor and was pulling at her clothes. He ran over and knocked the guy off of her and pulled her over to where he could stand in front of both her and Emily. All three edged away from the door as the man came at them._

"_I'll be back tomorrow. You'll pay me the rent one way or the other," he growled as he left the room, slamming the door behind him._

_Turning to Kimberly, who was shaking in Emily's embrace, Jason was in full big brother mode. "What was that about?" _

"_He wanted me to have sex with him. He said that it would be the only way to pay off the rent that I currently owe."_

"_How far behind are you?"_

"_Two months. It's been so hard trying to keep up on the bills." Kim was sobbing now, embarrassed that Jason had to see her like this. She just hoped he didn't open the fridge or the cupboards. She didn't want him to know that she was living off of her meals at McDonald's. _

"_How bad is it, sis?" Jason gentled his voice when he saw how scared she was. "Talk to me. Let me help you."_

"_Jason, I can't do this anymore. I just don't care." It was those words that made him stop and take a close look at her. Her normally bouncy brunette locks were limp and dirty. Her face looked pale and drawn. She looked to have lost about ten pounds, which was ten pounds she couldn't afford to lose. There was no sparkle in her eyes and she didn't have any bounce in her step. _

_He gathered his "sis" in his arms and simply held her for a few minutes, forgetting that he was going to find out about that damn letter and tell Tommy what was going on._

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

"She was lost and needed help. So Emily and I got married and we got a three-bedroom house together. She worked hard right alongside us and we took care of everything. Once we got her back on her feet, she started to train beside me again and we opened a small dojo/gymnastics center. Emily takes care of the books while I teach martial arts and Kim does her gymnastics."

"Why does she have a cast on her leg?"

"I take it no one told you about the accident?"

"What accident?"

"One night, Kim had gone to the store and bumped into a former teammate of hers. The girl offered Kim a ride home. Kim didn't know that this person had been doing drugs. She got in the car with her and the rest, as they say, is history. There was an accident and a family died. Kim's friend died and Kim's leg was practically shattered from the knee to the ankle." Jason's head dropped. "She's going to kill me for telling you about all this. But, bro, you have the right to know why she seems so lost anymore."

"Jason, how is she able to morph?"

"That, my old friend, is a long and involved story that I think would be better for her to tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it was hard for me to believe at first. And I think you'll find it easier to believe if it comes from her." Jason clasped a hand on his old friend's shoulder and the two of them finished the trek to the house.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Nope still not mine.

SUMMARY: Kimberly was knocked out during a battle with some Lava Lizards. Can the past be what brings Kimberly back together with Tommy?

* * *

Billy lay his friend on the bed in the guest room Andrew had shown him to. He brushed the hair back from her face. "Kimberly? Kimberly, wake up." He checked her vitals one more time before stepping back and sighing.

"Is she going to be okay?" Andrew asked, worried that his niece hadn't woken up yet.

"From what I can tell, she should wake up anytime now. Other than the fact that she's still out cold, I don't know what's wrong with her."

"Maybe I can help there, my young friend." The familiar voice came from behind Billy, making him spin around.

"Dulcea! What do you mean?"

"Hello, Billy. I see you've rather grown up since the last time we met."

"That I have. I no longer hide behind big words either. What's wrong with Kimberly?"

"Her grip on the Power is not as strong as it should be. She's been training with it but her heart just isn't in it. She is lonely without the Falcon beside her. She will be weak until he returns to her." Dulcea appeared to step to Kimberly's side and lean over the young woman. "Wake, little Crane. Your Falcon approaches."

Tommy walked into the room as Dulcea disappeared. "Was that Dulcea?"

"It was." Billy's simple answer left more questions in Tommy's mind than it answered.

"How did she appear here? I thought she couldn't leave her plateau."

"I don't know how she did it. But she was here."

At that point, everyone's attention was drawn to Kimberly as she stirred on the bed. She stirred a second time and drew in a deep breath. Sitting bolt upright on the bed, her eyes flew open and she looked around with fear in her gaze, as if she'd been expecting to see something else.

Jason immediately went to the side of the bed and sat down. "Kimberly. Kim, it's okay." He wrapped his arms around her form as she collapsed into him with tears streaming down her face. He rocked her gently for a few minutes giving her the chance to collect herself.

When she pushed back from his shoulder, he looked down into her eyes. "You saw the crash again, didn't you?"

"I could hear their screams, Jase. I could hear the screams of the children. I could feel the heat from the fire. Jason, I couldn't save them. I couldn't even help the kids. I was so close and yet I couldn't save them."

"Kim, I've told you. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have saved them because you were injured."

Kim looked around and noticed Billy, Tommy and her uncle standing close by. "I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

"Kim, Tommy knows a little about the accident."

"Jase, what do you want me to do? Tell them about what happened? Tell them how badly I failed?" She shook her head. "It's not enough that I have to deal with the nightmares. You just had to tell Tommy how badly I screwed up."

"Kim, you didn't screw up. The firemen told me about what happened. They told me that you kept fighting to get to the kids right up until the car exploded. They had a hard time keeping you from crawling right up to the car and dying with them." Jason turned to the others. "She kept trying to reach the family even after the car blew. It took two firemen just to hold her back from the car."

"I screwed up." Kim refused to look up from where she was focused on the hands she had folded in her lap.

Dulcea reappeared behind Jason where he sat. "Poor Kimberly, you have such a gentle soul. You've been so lonely without your Falcon. Just as he has been without you. The accident has sorely tested you and brought you here to be reunited with your love."

"He doesn't love me anymore, Dulcea. He made his choice and it was a life without me."

"Kimberly, he has been lonely without you. He needs you beside him again. Even if he is too stubborn to admit it even to himself." Dulcea's voice was gentle as she reprimanded the young man who had the decency to blush.

Kimberly's next words were soft and sad. "Then why didn't he fight for me?"

It was a question Tommy had asked himself many times over the long and lonely years.


	4. Chapter 4

Kimberly started sobbing as Tommy left the room during the stunned silence that followed her quiet question.

As he slid down the wall out in the hallway, he heard her tearful words to Jason. "Now I know he hates me."

Back in the room, Kim looked up at Jason with a futile hope in her eyes. "This was a really bad idea, Rex. Let's just go back home."

"Kimberly, you can't run anymore. He deserves the truth." Jason looked deep into his kid sister's eyes. "You both do."

"Whose truth, Jase? Yours? Or the real truth? That I never should have been a Power Ranger?" Kimberly hung her head with the last statement. Billy couldn't believe that his friend actually believed that she had been made a Ranger by mistake.

"Kimberly," he started softly, stepping forward as if to grant her some tiny bit of support. "You can't possibly think that you being made a Ranger was a mistake. If you weren't worthy of the position, do you really think the Zords would have responded to you the way they did? The Zords are more than machines. They don't allow access to anyone who doesn't have the heart of a Ranger. We learned that when someone thought it would be cool to steal one of the Turbo Zords."

"He speaks? And in small words?" Jason teased, turning to his long-time friend. Kimberly cracked a small smile as Billy blushed. "I didn't know that you knew that many little words, Billy."

"It was my defensive mechanism. After moving so many times, I was afraid to get close to anyone because I was afraid that I'd just have to leave them again. I was tired of losing friends that way."

"Oh Billy!" Kimberly threw off the covers and swung her legs out over the bed. Seeing that she was about to try getting up, Billy stepped over to the bed and leaned down to help her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged her friend.

"Kimberly, Tommy doesn't hate you. He never could. He's hurt that you think he does."

"Billy, he turned around and walked out when I asked why he didn't fight for me. What else should I think?"

"You and Dulcea were talking as if he wasn't here. Then you asked a question that he's asked himself numerous times over the past several years. Do you realize just how many nights he's sat up wondering why he didn't call you? Why he didn't go down there and demand answers?" Billy stepped back from Kimberly. "Your uncle sat with Tommy many nights when he was drinking. I remember nights when all we could do is settle him on the couch and cover him with a blanket."

"What are you saying, Billy?" Jason asked.

"Tommy has asked himself why he didn't fight for her for years. He spent many nights just trying to drown himself, trying to convince himself that he wasn't wrong." Billy shook his head. "There was more than one night that I woke up in my room to Andrew trying to haul Tommy up to his room. That was before we decided that leaving him on the couch in the den was the better option."

"Tommy got drunk?" Kimberly asked. She couldn't believe it. That didn't sound like her Tommy.

"He hasn't been the same Tommy since that damn letter came, Kimberly. He never truly got over it." Billy just had to make her understand how much she had meant to Tommy and still did.

"But why does he still care? After what I did to him, I wouldn't expect him to care for me at all."

"Tommy still loves you, Kim. You didn't see the look on his face when that creature knocked you out. He fought just like in the old days." Jason had seen it and was still more than a little amazed that he could read his old friend so easily.

"I think I better go talk to Tommy." Billy knew that his partner wouldn't be too far away.

* * *

Out in the hallway, Tommy had listened to Billy spill his shameful secret. He had been more than a little into the alcohol for a while. He had drank for the sake of forgetting._**FLASHBACK**_

_Tommy sat on one side of the desk and lifted his bleary eyes to look at the picture he'd set there. "Kimberly, why did you dump me like that? What did I do?"_

"_Tommy, why don't you go to bed? It's really getting late."_

"_Billy, why did she dump me like that? What happened?" Tommy started crying and it truly unnerved Billy to see tears running down the face of a man who had always been the strongest of his friends. He hadn't cried when the letter first came but now, years later, the tears flowed freely. _

"_I don't know what happened, Tommy. I don't know why she did it. But she did and you have to accept it."_

"_I should have gone down there. I should have demanded answers from her. I was just too scared to go and ask for them." _

"_Tommy, you couldn't have gone anyway. King Mondo was keeping us busy with all the battles he kept throwing at us."_

"_I could have taken the time to find out what was going on. You guys would have understood."  
_

"_We would have but you and I both know that the whole reason you didn't is because you thought that that was what she wanted and you always thought about her before yourself."_

_Tommy looked up at the young man who had been his closest friend since the whole Dino Thunder thing. None of the others had known about Tommy's little stint as the Black Ranger and he didn't think they'd have understood. "I still love her, Billy. I'll always love her."_

"_I know, Tommy. I know." Billy had left Tommy there at that point. No one had known just how far into the drink he had gone._

_**FLASHBACK ENDS**_

"Tommy?" Billy asked as he stepped out of the room. He had had the feeling that his friend would be close by.

"How can she think I hate her? I was only giving her what I thought she wanted." His voice was shaky and Tommy didn't lift his eyes to Billy's face.

"I know that and I think that she knows that too. She wants to put that behind the two of you. I think she still loves you. No matter what she might say now."

"Do you think I can win her back?" Tommy said as he stood up.

"I think you should try." Billy draped an arm around the finest friend he'd ever had. "I really think you should try."


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. I can dream.

SUMMARY: Tommy and Kim have seen each other again and each is convinced that the other wants nothing to do with them. What can the others do to bring them back together?

* * *

"Why don't you lay back down and rest, Firebird? I'll go talk to Tommy and see if we can't straighten things out for the two of you."

"He DOES hate me, Rex. If he didn't, he'd have already come back in here." The tears running from Kimberly's big brown eyes tore great gaping holes in Jason's heart. He never could stand to see this particular young woman cry.

"Just rest, Kim. I'll be back later to check on you." He pulled the covers up to her chin and went to kiss her forehead. Before he could, she rolled over, facing away from him.

He walked to the door and stepped into the hallway. As he closed the door tightly behind him, he leaned against the door and sighed.

"She's still crying?" Billy asked walking back down the hall towards his friend.

"Billy, what are we going to do with these two? She honestly believes that he hates her and he just doesn't know the whole story."

"Jason, I don't know the whole story. All I know is the way he's been since that letter arrived. Why don't you tell me what happened and we'll try to figure out a way to get them back together?"

The two of them walked down the hallway towards the Hartford kitchen. Jason knew he was going to need a snack in order to make it through this without breaking down entirely.

* * *

"It all started right after I lost the Gold Ranger Powers. Emily and I decided to go down to check on Kimberly. I wanted to know what was the deal with that letter. When we got there, we found out that she had just packed up her things one day and left. I talked to everyone from the coaches and gymnasts down to the people that clean the locker rooms. No one seemed to know what had changed so drastically. It took me almost two and a half months to get to the truth. Her roommate was on vacation when we arrived. She got back about then. She told me what had happened."

"What was it?"

"One of the other girls had told Kim that she needed to find out if Tommy was still interested in her. She suggested writing a break up letter to him. If he still cared, he would either call her or come down in person to find out what was going on. If not, he wouldn't do anything. She sent the letter and got no response out of him. About a week after she sent the letter, she called her mother wanting to leave. Mrs. Hart told her that she couldn't quit just because of a little stress. That was when she packed up and left, telling her roommate that she just couldn't stay because there were too many reminders of what she had lost for a dream that just wasn't worth it anymore. She moved to Orlando."

"Poor Kim. To have her mom turn her back on her like that."

"You're not kidding. She didn't want anyone finding her apparently and told her roommate not to tell. But she told me because she was scared for Kimberly. Emily and I went up there and knocked on her door. When I pushed the door open, a guy had Kim pinned to the floor and was trying to get her clothes off her. I managed to knock him off of her and then chased him off. I forgot all about that damned letter and asked her what was going on. At first, she didn't want to tell me. But eventually I got it out of her that she was two months behind on the rent and he had said that if she would just have sex with him, he'd forget about the back rent. Of course I wasn't about to let that happen. Then, I discovered that she was working two jobs and not even able to make the bills half the time anyway. She had no food in the apartment. I asked her what she was eating. She confessed that she was living off of her meals at McDonald's and the other restaurant she worked at. That gave her ten meals a week. It was no wonder she'd lost weight that she couldn't afford to lose. Billy, I wanted to cry when I found out what she'd been through. She was working 80 to 100 hours a week and still not managing."

Billy fought back the tears in his eyes. "What happened next?"

"Emily and I bought a house. It was a beautiful three-bedroom place on the outskirts of Orlando. Kim moved in with us and we started getting her back in shape. Once we had things settled, we opened a small dojo-gymnastics center. Emily does the books, Kim teaches gymnastics and I teach martial arts with Zach. It's been like that for years. About four years ago, Kim and I were talking about the old days and she broke down crying. She missed Tommy and wished she'd never written that stupid letter. I told her that she could still get in touch with him but she just shook her head and walked away. She seemed to get better after a few days. But her room is like a shrine to the relationship they had. Pictures everywhere of the team and especially the two of them. The color scheme is wild; pink, green and white. She knew the first time that we saw a story on the Dino Thunder Rangers that he was the Black Ranger. Of course she teased Zach about Tommy stealing his color to cover how much she still missed him but we all knew."

"When did Dulcea first start coming to her?"

"About seven years ago. She started having dreams in which Dulcea told her that her powers had never truly left her and she needed to work with them again. She did. She worked those powers so hard that at points I was worried that she was pushing too hard. One day, she broke a wrist while working out and Dulcea stopped coming to her for a while. Apparently, she told Kim to take it easy for a while in order to allow her wrist to heal. But she almost never misses a workout. She tries so hard but her grip on her powers isn't as strong as it could be. Dulcea says that it's because she misses Tommy so much. I worry that sometime she's going to try to use her powers and it's going to hurt her badly."

"So how did the cast come to be?"

"About four weeks ago, Kim was at the store. Emily had dropped her off to do the grocery shopping while she went to a doctor's appointment. We recently found out that Em was six weeks pregnant. Kim's been so happy for us. Well, while she was at the store, she bumped into one of her old teammates and they got to talking. Her friend offered to give Kim a ride home so that they could talk some more and Kim agreed. She called Em to tell her not to worry about picking her up, that she had a ride. They started heading back to the house. What Kim didn't know was that this woman had been thrown off the team for drug use. She wrecked the car, plowing head on into a conversion van. The front end of the car was basically shoved into the front seat, crushing Kim's leg from the knee down. The other leg was tucked up under her and so it ended up badly bruised and her hip was thrown out of place. Her friend was killed on impact."

"Oh no. Poor Kim."

"Yeah. She ended up sitting there next to a dead body for the 45 minutes that it took them to cut her out of the car. Come to find out, there was a family in the van. Parents and four kids. A fire started and Kim tried so hard to get to the van with the only thought being to save them. They were innocent in all of this. She could hear the kids screaming as they burned alive. The parents were yelling for help. Kim kept trying and it took two firefighters to hold her back from crawling up to the van and dying herself. Sometimes, she still wakes up crying that maybe she could have saved at least one of the kids if the firemen had just let her go."

Billy was shaking his head. He couldn't believe that poor Kimberly had been through so much.

"I know, Billy. It's hard to think of what this has done to Kim but it didn't end there. The press got wind of the fact that Kim's friend had been on drugs and that Kim had walked away from the Pan-Globals. They were all over this story. The hospital had to ban all reporters from the whole floor that she was on. I was afraid to leave her alone because she was so depressed afterward. That's why we came here. We had no idea that Tommy would be here and she was determined at first not to see him at all. She was, and still is, positive that he wouldn't want anything to do with her."

"He still loves her. Jase, we have to find some way to convince the two of them to talk to each other and to tell the truth."

"Billy, he needs to know all this before he tries to talk to her. She'd never tell him about the past due rent or the near rape. She'd be too embarrassed." Jason ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to have to leave her here for a while and go check on Emily. She's so excited to be pregnant. But I'm a little worried about her."

"First time Daddy jitters." Billy sounded so certain. "It's normal for you to feel that way. Emily's first time being pregnant and you want to make sure that everything goes right."

"Of course. I hate leaving Kim alone when she's so vulnerable but I have to check on Emily."

"Jason, you know that I won't let anything happen to Kimberly. And if something does get past me, Tommy will be right there to stop it before it can get to Kimberly."

"He always has been rather die hard when it comes to protecting Kim." Jase chuckled a bit and Billy did too.

* * *

Neither one would have been laughing if they could have seen the look on Tommy's face as he stood by the kitchen door listening to the conversation. He'd only been intending to get a snack but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kim had been through so much.

'_She really didn't want to break up with me. She was just trying to get a reaction out of me. And the one she got wasn't what she really wanted.'_ His mind kept coming back to that one point. _'She quit because of me. If I had only called her more or written more or something, she never would have written that stupid letter and all of this would never have happened. She's in the shape she's in because of me.'_

He turned and walked away, almost running over Mack in the process.

"Sorry, Mack," he mumbled.

"You okay, Tommy?" Mack asked before the older man had a chance to move away.

"Not really. Gotta go, Mack."

The current Red Ranger turned back toward the kitchen only to find two worried faces watching the oldest Ranger walk away. "What's going on?"

"I think Tommy may have overheard everything we just said," Billy sadly replied.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. But I dream frequently of how different things may have been if I did.

SUMMARY: Tommy now knows the whole story of what happened to Kim. He blames himself as usual. What happens next? I'M NOT TELLING. At least, not until you read on.

A/N: I know it's been taking a long time in between posts. But Real Life has been a royal pain in the butt lately. Hopefully I'll be able to update faster now.

* * *

Tommy left the house with a numb feeling sitting right in the center of his chest. He couldn't believe what he'd put Kimberly through. He got on the motorcycle he kept at the house, kicking it into life before riding away.

****

Kim watched him ride away with tears streaming down her face. Turning away from the window, she walked out of the room and started looking for Jason. She knew that he had to have said something to make Tommy walk out like that.

"Miss Kimberly?" Spencer asked, standing in front of her. She smiled sadly and shook her head. The butler nearly always seemed to be exactly where he was needed and when he was needed. "Can I help you with something?"

"I need to find Jason. Do you know where he is, Spencer?"

"I was just in the kitchen with Billy, Kim. I thought you were resting." Jason's voice behind her made her spin around.

"What did you say to Tommy?"

"What do you mean? I haven't spoken to Tommy since he left your room."

"Then why did he just ride away on his motorcycle without a helmet on? Where was he going and what does he know?"

"He didn't have his helmet on?" Billy stood just behind Jason. The look on his face told Kim that something was really wrong. "Jason, he really must have heard everything."

"What do you mean 'he heard everything'? What were you two talking about?"

"Jason told me the whole story, Kim. Tommy must have overheard everything." He sighed. "If he rode off without his helmet, I think I know where he might be going. His uncle has a private racetrack nearby that he lets Tommy run when nothing else seems to help him focus. There's two cars there right now….. oh no."

"What?" Kim and Jason asked at the same time.

"His uncle's experimental car is there. He doesn't want Tommy running it because of the engine. There's a problem with it and he's afraid that it might blow on him."

Before Billy could say another word, Kim was off, running as fast as she could for the door and her cousin's motorcycle.

****

Pulling up in front of the garage, Tommy shut off the bike and climbed off. He walked into the building. He checked over both cars and opened the door leading out onto the track.

Climbing into the white and red car, he started the engine and revved it a few times before putting the car in gear and pulling out onto the track.

As he drove around the track, building up speed with each lap, he thought about the things he'd heard Jason telling Billy in the kitchen.

'She gave up gymnastics because she thought she'd lost me. She was nearly raped and starved because of me. And yet she acts as though she still loves me. Like she still wants to be around me. How?'

He didn't notice the shimmy that started as he crossed the yellow line on his speedometer. He was too busy mentally beating himself up for what, in his mind, he'd done to Kim. Why hadn't he gone to see her? Why hadn't he called her?

He didn't even notice when Kim ran up to the pit wall and watched him run. She stared in rapt fascination as he ran the car around the track. Suddenly, though, she saw smoke start pouring out of the engine. "Tommy!" she screamed, knowing that he couldn't hear her.

In her mind, she was seeing the accident all over again. But on the track, Tommy was fighting to control something that had already spiraled far beyond that. He felt the shimmy getting stronger and he realized that something was seriously wrong.

As he rounded the fourth turn, he caught a glimpse of the bright pink shirt that Kimberly had been wearing. She was here? How? Who would have told her where to find him?

The smoke started rolling past his window and he suddenly couldn't even see the track. Hopefully, the engine would just die like it had before.

The engine didn't die. It blew, lifting the front end of the car and flipping it onto the roof. Tommy felt his head whip around, banging the inside of the helmet. His world went black and he felt nothing more.

****

Kimberly felt herself falling as she screamed. Two strong arms caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. "Billy! Call for help! I'll go check on him! Mack, you stay with Kimberly. Get her talking to you. She's in shock."

Mack nodded as Jason ran to the car to see Tommy hanging unconscious in the harness. Very carefully, he removed his friend's helmet and checked his pulse. He found it. It wasn't very strong but it was there.

"Tommy, what have you done now?"

****

Jason and Billy sat in the ER waiting for word on Kim and Tommy. Kim had gone catatonic about the time Billy made the announcement that the ambulance was on the way. Tyzon had loaded Kim into one of his rescue vehicles and taken her straight to the hospital.

As the doctor walked out into the waiting room, the two friends stood up along with Mack and Andrew. "Kimberly's going to be fine. We have her sedated for now. We want to keep her overnight just as a precaution."

"Of course," Andrew said. "Is there any word on Tommy?"

"Apparently, he's in a coma. We don't know anything more. He could come out of it at any time or it may take a longer time. It's rather up to him now."

"Can we see them?"

"Of course. With Tommy, I would recommend only one at a time. But Kimberly could use several visitors. It would help her recovery rate."

"Thank you, doctor," Andrew said. His eyes were sad as he thought of all that his niece and her young man had been through over the years.

The doctor told them which rooms the two would be in and then left them. "Mack and I are going to check on Kimberly. Why don't you two check on Tommy?"

"Sounds good, Andrew. We'll let you know how he's doing."

"Thank you. We'll see you two later." Andrew and Mack headed toward Kimberly's room while Jason and Billy headed the opposite direction to check on Tommy.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I wouldn't mind though

SUMMARY: Tommy's in a coma. Kim's in the hospital because she went into shock seeing Tommy crash at the track.

A/N: I know it's been a while on this one but I'm trying. I know where it's going but I'm a little foggy on how to get there. Thanks to Chylea3784 for all of her help. Without her, I wouldn't have even finished this one chapter. If you want to read some great stories, I highly recommend her stuff. She's really good.

* * *

Tommy's eyes opened to see the hospital room. _'Great. Just what I needed. To end up in the hospital with Kim here. I don't remember what happened.'_

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. "I couldn't be that badly hurt if I could just get up out of the bed like that."

"Ah but this isn't the real world, young Falcon." The familiar voice made him turn to see Dulcea standing behind him. "You were most seriously injured. Why were you doing such a foolish thing?"

"Dulcea, I can't go back there. Everyone's better off without me."

"Tommy, you can't truly believe such a thing." The gentle voice was firm and yet understanding.

"Look at everything Kim's been through since she left. All of that is because of me. She would have been fine had I just been selfish for just one moment and kept her with me. Or at least written more often, called more. Something. I'm surprised she doesn't blame me."

"Would you like to see what would have happened to your friends had you not been a part of their lives?"

"Can you do that? I mean, how?"

"I will show you. Then you will understand why their lives are so much better for your presence."

Tommy hung his head. "I doubt you'll convince me but you can try."

"Follow me then, Falcon. We will attempt to mend your broken wings."

****

"Where are we, Dulcea?"

"This is where you lived before your family moved to Angel Grove. Do you remember this house? Do you remember your first reaction to moving to Angel Grove?"

The two of them walked toward the house and climbed the steps to the porch. Tommy looked in through the window to the living room as he heard the shouting begin. "Dad, we only just got settled here. Why do we have to move again?"

"Look, Tommy, my boss had sworn that he'd try not to move me again. He apologized for doing this to us again but he doesn't have a lot of choice. If we don't move I won't have a job in six months. He's trying to give us the chance to get settled in there. And it's a promotion. That's means more of a chance that I'll be able to get you those driving lessons you want. You know that your uncle won't let you drive his cars until you've had the lessons."

"I know. But Dad, I haven't even had a chance to get to know anyone here yet."

"So much the better. Maybe when we get to Angel Grove you can make some real friends."

Tommy watched himself sigh and walk out of the room to start packing his things for the move. He turned to Dulcea. "I remember that. I was so frustrated about moving yet again that I was really mean to my parents."

"But you moved to Angel Grove and …" The scenery changed and Tommy watched as he approached the juice bar and the competition inside. "This time you didn't join the exhibition. You watched from the sidelines as someone else took on Jason."

Tommy watched as the other young man fought Jason and lost. "What happened?"

"You decided to try to blend in here instead of standing out. You never made friends with the Rangers. Instead, Rita kept sending monsters after them. She never had a Green Ranger."

"No Green Ranger?"

"That's right, Tommy. You did not catch her eye and therefore did not end up under her spell. Instead she came up with a monster that almost did the same thing but it could not be turned to their side and so was destroyed."

He watched as Jason and the gang relaxed in the park after finally defeating the monster Rita had created and noticed just how exhausted they all looked.

"But Dulcea, this was just one time. You can't expect me to believe that they are better off having known me from just this."

"Of course not, Tommy. Come. I will show you more of what your friends lives would have been like without you."

****

In his niece's room, Andrew held her hand. "Kim, you need to wake up. We need your help in convincing Tommy to wake up. I don't think anyone else can do it."


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Tommy's in a coma and starting to see what the Rangers life would be like if he had never been a part of it.

A/N: Once again, I have to send a shout out to Chylea. I've known for a while where I wanted this story to go I just wasn't sure how to get it there. Thanks to Chy for helping me find my way.

* * *

Mack and Jason crossed paths again in the lobby heading out to get something to eat.

"How's Tommy?" Mack asked.

Jason shook his head. "No change. I just don't know what else to do. I've been talking to him, begging him, even threatening. Nothing. We need Kim to wake up. She'll be able to bring him around. She always could."

Mack smiled. "I remember hearing about how she was when he was losing the green powers."

"She always stepped in to protect him or to pull him out of there while we covered them. I don't know what she'll do if he doesn't wake up." Jason hung his head. "I should have been more careful. I should have never told Billy the whole story without making sure that Tommy wouldn't hear every word of it."

Mack stopped and put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "Jason, Tommy would have heard the story eventually. It's just a question of timing."

"He should have heard it from Kim. Not me. And not like that." Pulling away from the rookie Ranger, Jason stormed off, furious with himself and more than a little mad at Tommy.

****

"Where are we now, Dulcea?"

"You know this place. It is the Command Center and this is the day when Jason, Zack and Trini leave for the Peace Conference, passing on their coins to Rocky, Adam and Aisha."

"Nothing changed there I see." Tommy was still so very certain that his friends were better off without him that he couldn't see the heartbreak in Kim's eyes that three of her best friends were leaving.

"Oh but it has. You see by this point, Kimberly knew that she would be trying out for the Pan-Global Games in just a little over a year. She's working very hard and that makes her being a Ranger almost dangerous. She's always tired and she can't focus in school. She's had more than one accident while learning to drive her mother's car." As Kimberly moved to hug her friends, Dulcea pointed out the limp that Tommy had already noticed and the wrap on her wrist. "She's hurt herself practicing but vowed that nothing was going to stop her from going for the Pan-Global gold."

Tommy shook his head. "Aww, Kim. Why are you doing this to yourself? You know better."

"She does. But no one has had the courage to stand up to her and remind her that they will love her no matter what. After all, the two of you never started dating."

"Okay, so maybe I helped her there. Once out of how many years?"

"I see that I must show you still more. But I warn you, Tommy, most of what you will see next is unpleasant."

"Show me, Dulcea. I want to know how everything turns out."

Dulcea sighed and nodded. It was no wonder the Falcon chose this young man. He was so stubborn, just like his spirit animal.

****

Andrew was dozing in his chair beside Kim's bed when the doe brown eyes fluttered open and she took in a deep breath.

Her uncle sat straight up in the chair at the sound taking her hand gently in his own. "Kim, are you okay?"

"Am I – am I in a hospital?"

He nodded. "Afraid so. You passed out and went into shock when you saw Tommy crash on the track."

"Crash? Tommy?" Suddenly, everything clicked for Kimberly. "Oh No! Tommy! He's okay, right?"

"He's --- he's ---" Andrew wasn't sure how to break the news to his niece.

"He's dead?" Her tiny voice broke Andrew's heart and he knew that he had to make sure that she understood.

"No, sweetheart. He's not dead." He saw her shoulders slump in relief. "He's in a coma. The doctor says that it's up to him now. All we can do is wait."

She sat up. "Uncle Andrew, I want to go down and see him."

"Let me call the nurse. They'll probably want to check you over before you go anywhere." He reached for the call button.

****

Dulcea led Tommy to another point in time. He watched as the powers were decimated. The tears running down Kim's face broke his heart as always. _'But I only ended up hurting her in the end.'_

"Kim! Kim, no!" Tommy looked up. Jason came running up. He stood in front of Kimberly and wrapped his arms around her. "I've got her, guys." And just like that, Jason was the one holding Kim back from the burning Zords.

"Jason? Oh god, Jason! It's happening again. Just like before. They're gone."

"Come on, guys. We'll go back to the Command Center and see what Zordon has to say." The six teens walked away, Jason with his arm around Kimberly's shoulder.

Dulcea transported the two of them to the Command Center in time to see the team walk in. Billy went straight to the consoles and started looking at the wires that were hanging out all over the place.

"Aww man. What a mess."

"Come on, Billy. Give us some good news." Tommy remembered those words but this time they came from Jason's mouth.

"I wish I could. I mean we're talking about the Command Center's power core. I don't even begin to know how to repair it."

"Ay-ay-ay. I don't know, Billy. That could take centuries."

"Alpha, we don't have centuries." Kim's voice seemed almost flat, not at all her usual self.

"What about our Zords? Can you bring them back, Zordon?"

"I'm afraid not. Since the Command Center's power is nearly depleted, there is no way to revitalize your lost Zords."

"There's got to be something we can do." Aisha was always the one to try to find a way to correct a bad situation.

You could almost see Adam's brain working as he asked his next question. "Where did our powers come from in the first place?"

Zordon explained about the temple and Ninjor. When Rocky made the suggestion that the team try to find the temple, Zordon of course said that it was too dangerous. That was when Jason spoke up. "We've faced danger before. If there's even the slightest chance this temple exists, we have to take it."

"Jason's right Zordon. We can't just give up."

Alpha handed Billy the map and Zordon reminded them that Lord Zedd would try to stop them and that they had no powers to defend them. "Powers or not, we don't have a choice."

Zordon gave in at last and had Alpha teleport them to the Desert of Despair.

"Dulcea, I'm the Falcon. Jason can't take that from me, can he?"

"Ahh, but you forget. What you are seeing is a world where you were not a Ranger. In this world you spent most of your high school years in Angel Grove training to drive cars for your uncle."

"So far what you've shown me isn't all that different from what happened with me. I obviously couldn't have made that big a difference. Not if everything is pretty much the same."

"You will see, my young friend. You will see."


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Tommy's still in a coma but Kim's awake now. How will Dulcea convince Tommy that his friends would not have been better off without him?

A/N: I have to thank my muse, Chylea for all of her awesome help and ideas. I don't think I could have gotten this far without her.

* * *

Tommy watched as Jason led the team to the temple and Ninjor. He watched as his best friend gave the same speech that he had given to his fellow Rangers but in his own unique Jason way. Of course when it came to gaining the powers of the Ninja, Jason became a White Ranger himself. But he was the White Tiger Ninja Ranger.

Tommy grimaced as he watched the team become strong through coming battles. He remembered so much of how he had stood by Kimberly and helped when her whole world seemed to fall apart.

"Do you not see yet, young Falcon? Your presence was such a factor in their lives that everything is different without you there. Jason returned early from the conference because the Rangers needed him when they gained their Ninja powers. But because he left the conference early, he wasn't there when Trini's problems started."

"What problems?" Dulcea flashed the two of them to the World Peace Conference in Geneva. Tommy watched helplessly as Trini started feeling the pressure of maintaining the conference and keeping up with her classes.

"What's wrong, Trini?" one of the other delegates asked her.

"I can't seem to stay awake in class. I find myself dozing off and my grades are slipping."

"I had the same problem for a while. Try taking just one of these about an hour before class starts. It'll keep you up."

"Really? Is it legal?"

"You can buy them over the counter. They're completely legal. Besides, almost everyone else is taking them or something like them. Everyone's doing it."

Trini shook her head. Tommy sighed in relief.

A few days later, however, Tommy felt his heart break as Trini took the pills. He watched as the pills kept her awake only to find her taking other pills to let her sleep.

As Tommy watched, it became two and more. She started taking different pills only to degenerate into other more dangerous drugs. He watched as one of the strongest people he had ever known fell deeper and deeper into the pit of drug addiction. "Trini? Trini would never take drugs. She knows that it's a bottomless pit of despair."

"But Jason isn't there to see the signs and save her from herself. In the world you remember, he was there. He noticed the signs. He kept her from the pills and convinced her that if she couldn't keep up with both that she needed to make the choice to quit the conference. But he had to stay in Angel Grove once he became the White Tiger Ranger. He couldn't keep running to her to make sure that she was all right. And when Kimberly's mother decided to move to Paris, Jason took her in. Aisha was always there for her but she stayed in Jason's home."

"So they…?" Tommy didn't even want to think about the possibility that Kim and Jason had gotten together.

"No. As you will see, they were never more than friends. He always cared for her but never as deeply as you did."

They went back to Angel Grove to watch as Kat arrived and started scheming to destroy the Rangers thanks to Rita's spell. She wanted Jason this time around and, since he wasn't dating anyone, the personal side to the vendetta she started against Kimberly wasn't as fierce. She was still determined to take Kim out of the picture only this time it was because Jason was so very protective of Kim that he would leave his dates with Kat anytime Kim needed him.

It was still Kim's power coin that Kat stole that day at the beach. But they had a much harder time keeping her recharged. It was as if she'd given up on holding on to the Power. He noticed the relief in her eyes when she was told that she'd made the team for Pan-Globals. He saw how happy she was to give up her coin to Kat and leave Angel Grove.

"Oh, Kim. What's going to happen to you now?"

****

Wheeling into Tommy's room, Kim stifled a gasp as she saw Tommy lying almost deathly still in the bed. The only true signs of life were his chest moving with each breath and the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

"Tommy?" Andrew pushed his niece closer to the bed so that she could take Tommy's hand. "Tommy, please come back to me. I still need you."


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. I'm still wishing though.

SUMMARY: Tommy's in a coma and Kim's awake. Is Dulcea going to be able to show Tommy how much he means to his friends? Can Kim wake him up and convince him to give her a second chance?

* * *

"Tommy? Tommy, please wake up. I need to talk to you about what you heard Jason and Billy talking about."

"Kim? Kim, I'm sorry that he heard all of that." Jason was behind her but she didn't turn around.

"I don't blame you, Jase. He would have had to hear it eventually and you know that I would have left out parts of the story."

Jason smiled sadly as he nodded. "You would have left out some things just because you couldn't bear for him to see you as weak or helpless."

"I still love him, Jason. I really do." The tears started flowing down her cheeks as she sat there holding Tommy's hand. "I just want him to wake up so that I can tell him."

"He will, Pinkie. He will." His hand landed firmly on his 'little sister's' shoulder.

****

Tommy and Dulcea kept walking through time, watching as the Rangers went into the Zeo phase. Adam became the Red Ranger, Billy was still blue and Rocky took on the Green Ranger powers. Jason stayed in the Command Center to advise and assist whenever he could. Granted, Billy was still the technical genius of the group but Jason was learning. Billy was getting sick. Tommy watched as Billy's health deteriorated further and further.

"Why don't they push him to go to Aquitar?"

"If you remember correctly, you were the main proponent of that plan. Billy was never a big fan of leaving the planet. He wanted to stay close to his friends. But you aren't there. Kat isn't pushing because she wants him. She wants to date him and thinks that he could possibly want her too."

"Billy and Kat? I never would have thought of that."

"Of course not. She was more interested in you than in Billy. But without you there, she latched on to Billy and when that failed, Jason."

"Jason and Kat I could have seen. But poor Billy."

"Billy survived Zeo. But by the time the team acquired the Turbo powers, Billy was so close to death that he had to pass on the powers." Tommy watched as, with his last breath, in front of all the other Rangers, Billy named Justin as his successor.

"And Prince Trey? Did Jason still take over the Gold Powers?"

"No. The Powers wouldn't accept him. They called Zack."

Tommy watched as Zack took the Gold Powers. He noticed that his friend started acting strangely as the Powers twisted him into someone that no one recognized.

"What's happening to Zack?" he asked Dulcea.

"The Gold Powers were never meant to be held by a human as you well remember from what they did to Jason. However, Zack's mind was not at its strongest point because of what was happening to Trini. He had watched her condition deteriorate as she took stronger and stronger drugs."

"I thought she hid it?"

"She tried but as things went farther and farther, Zack noticed. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to do anything. He blames himself for her ending up where she is at this point."

"Which is?"

"Living on the streets of New York City looking for her next hit. She lives with a man who deals and provides her with all the drugs she wants but she needs more all the time."

Zack lashed out at everyone toward the end. It took everyone holding him still for Prince Trey to take the Powers back. After he had regained them, he tried to help Zack by healing his fragmented mind. He was unsuccessful: Zack was just too far gone.

Tommy watched as Zack was taken to a psychiatric clinic and locked away in a padded room where he couldn't hurt anyone or himself. "Poor Zack."

"Do you understand yet, young friend? Your presence saved so many aspects of your friends' lives. How can you not see this?"

Tommy pressed on. He really was beginning to see what he meant to his friends. "What about the whole thing with Maligore? What happened there?"

"Watch. Kimberly was still captured but this time it was Aisha with her. Jason, after all, was still in Angel Grove with the team. The team rescued them but Aisha was tired of creatures coming after her because of her tie to the Rangers. She never spoke to any of them again after this. The next anyone had heard of the beloved Bear was of her death while trying to help a wounded lion. She was shot by poachers."

"What's wrong with Kim's face?" Tommy asked as he got a good look at her trapped on Divatox's ship.

"Those bruises are the direct result of the relationship she got into in Florida. The young man kept her from competing in the Pan-Global Games and has kept tight control of her ever since. He makes it a point to remind her daily that no one from her past could possibly want a washed up has been like her around."

"Kim wouldn't stand for that!" Tommy exploded.

"Maybe not here. But there she didn't have you telling her that she could do anything she wanted to. There was no one there to pull her away from this guy. He was always so very sweet to her when they first met that she believed he was the right one for her. After he had her firmly under his control, he changed. He started beating her on a regular basis."

Tommy watched as shortly after the Murianthas incident, Kimberly married the man who had given her the bruises.

Jason was at the reception. He was the only one of her male friends who was allowed to stay in contact with her. "Kimmie, you know you shouldn't have done this."

"I had to, Jase. He's the only one I have besides you. The others all hate me since the whole Maligore thing."

"You know that's not true. They just don't understand why you didn't call or write them. Why you didn't give them the chance to encourage you the way you needed. If you would just talk to them."

"It's too late, Rex. I lost them and Dorian is the only that wants me."

Tommy watched as that night Kim's new husband beat her until she was unconscious. When she came to, he threw her on the bed and raped her until he was satisfied.

She crawled out of the bed and into the bathroom to clean herself up. She then crawled back into the bedroom and curled up on the small pallet of blankets on the floor beside the window, crying herself to sleep.

"Can you not see how much better their lives are with you?"

"Dulcea, they can't possibly be that helpless without me."

"Tommy, do you not see that without you, Jason has to keep things together? Would you like to see what happened to him after Adam, Rocky, Kat and Tanya gave up their powers?"

Tommy nodded. Dulcea inclined her head and signaled for the young man to follow her.


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: Nope still not mine.

SUMMARY: Tommy's seeing what would have happened to the team if he hadn't been part of their lives. Can Dulcea convince him of his importance?

A/N: For those of you who have read "Nerves of Steel", I'd love it if you went to my profile and took my poll.

* * *

"Where are we now, Dulcea?" Tommy asked.

"This is the last battle that Kat, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya fought."

"Flamite." Tommy remembered that battle. That was when they had chosen Carlos, TJ, Ashley and Cassie to replace them.

He watched as Kat was thrown hard. As the crowd ran past her, several people stepped on her left ankle, crushing it. Rocky picked her up after the battle and transported her back to the Command Center. After passing on her powers to Cassie, Jason took her to the hospital.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Hillard. But dancing will not be a part of your future. Not even as a teacher." The doctor left Jason and Kat alone in the exam room while he went to prepare a cast for Kat's ankle.

"Kat will never dance? But she's a great dancer!"

"Not with a crushed ankle. The Powers help to ease the pain but she can't dance on it. She has a hard time even walking on it at times. Some things the Power can't fix."

"But what does that do to her life?"

"Just watch. See what happened because of the pain."

The scene changed. He watched Kat and Jason get married. But it wasn't a marriage of love. For Jason, it was guilt that drove him to marry Kat. Guilt that he hadn't protected her better when she was a Ranger.

For Kat, Jason was the second choice. She had wanted Billy. But with Billy dead, Jason was the only one she could have. But she always thought of him as a distant second to the man she had truly wanted.

Tommy watched as the two of them fought. The fights got worse and worse over the years. Until the day of their tenth wedding anniversary.

"You never loved me! It was always Billy!" Jason shouted at the blonde as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Well, don't worry! I know that the only reason you married me was because you felt sorry for me that my dream was taken away from me because of being a Ranger! I remember all the times you ran out on our dates to go to Kim's side! You always loved her more than you did me!"

"Kim's fragile. She needed protection. You on the other hand, have proven time and time again how strong you are! What should I have done? Ignore the fact that she was being beaten again and again?"

"Why didn't she just leave him if he was treating her so badly?" Kat yelled back.

"Because she thought you guys hated her. Her self-esteem hasn't been the greatest since her parents split up and when she left and got letters from just two people, it took a nosedive. She didn't realize what she was getting into until it was too late." Jason hung his head. "I couldn't protect her either. Just like I couldn't protect you. I couldn't save Trini and she died of a drug overdose just last year. Zack's gone because I asked him to take the Gold Powers and he went nuts."

"Jason, listen to yourself! This is the problem between us anymore! Your overloaded sense of guilt won't give you a moment's peace even though none of that was your fault! They made their own choices! I knew what the risks were when I became a Ranger! I knew that there was always that chance that I could get seriously hurt if not killed!"

"I was the leader! I should have protected you! I should have protected them!"

Tears flowed freely down Kat's face. "I can't live like this. I'm leaving. When you decide exactly what you are and are not responsible for, give me a call."

"Kat, don't! We can work this out."

"I'm going to Tanya's. You can call me there when you figure out what is the most important in your life. Your marriage or your guilt."

Kat walked out the door into the wind and rain. It was the first truly bad weather that they'd had in a long time. She climbed into her pink sports car and drove away.

As she drove, she swiped at the tears that were streaming from her eyes. "Damn him! I shouldn't have married him! I knew that this would happen."

Tommy watched as she sped down a winding road until the car lost traction on the slippery road and went off the side into a deep ditch flipping the vehicle.

Thankfully, someone had been driving along behind her and stopped to call the police. They were there in short order, talking to Kat and trying to keep her conscious until the ambulance got there. But she kept fading in and out.

"This is all his fault," she murmured during one of the times she was semi-conscious.

"Who's fault, ma'am?" the officer with her asked.

"My husband, Jason Scott. This whole thing is his fault." She lost consciousness again.

"Dulcea, how can she blame Jason for the crash?" Tommy couldn't believe that he'd heard such things come from Kat.

"She was hurt and simply lashing out at whoever was close. But her pain would not last much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"Watch."

Kat regained consciousness just one more time at the hospital where she once again voiced the thought that Jason was to blame for her accident. Before anyone could clarify what she meant, she lost consciousness again and died shortly thereafter.

Just moments after her death, Jason came running into the emergency room. "My wife, Katherine Scott, was brought in just a little while ago. She'd been in a car accident."

The nurse just hung her head. Thankfully, the doctor came out just about the time Jason asked his question again. "Where's my wife?"

"And you are, sir?" the doctor asked.

"Jason Scott. I just got word from the police that she had been brought here after a car accident."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Scott. We did everything we could. The damage was just too extensive. It was a miracle she even lived to arrive here. She died only a few minutes ago."

Jason was numb as the doctor led him back to see Kat one last time. When he was left with his wife's body, Jason fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Tommy heard his thoughts as clearly as if he'd voiced them aloud.

_'Just one more person I couldn't save. I haven't been a very good friend. I was an awful leader. Look at what happened to everyone.'_

"Dulcea, can you make it so he can hear me?"

The Master Warrior shook her head, her eyes sad. "I cannot, young Falcon. This is only an image of what would be if you had not been part of their lives. Can you now understand what you mean to those honored to call you friend?"

"I do, Dulcea. But what happened to Jason? Did he ever get over this?"

"I will show you this one last thing. But it is not something that you will ever forget."

She moved them through time once more, stopping at the day after Kat's funeral. Tommy saw his best friend kneeling at his wife's grave, crying again.

"Kat, I'm so sorry. So sorry that I couldn't be the man you needed. So sorry that I let my guilt ruin a good relationship. Everyone keeps telling me that this isn't my fault but it is and I know it. The police even think so. They came by asking me a lot of questions about our relationship and how things were between us. I broke down yesterday in front of Rocky and Adam. I think they even believe that this is all my fault. I had a good thing with you and ruined it."

Tommy watched as Jason took out a gun and double-checked that a round sat in the chamber before putting the barrel to his head and pulling the trigger.

"No!" Tommy cried, lunging toward his friend's lifeless body. Just then, Adam and Rocky showed up. Adam picked up the letter sitting on the marker for Kat's grave and opened it.

_Adam, Rocky,_

_I know that you two will be the ones to find me. You're probably the only ones who give a shit if I'm alive or dead. Kat's death was my fault. I couldn't put aside my guilt over the things that had happened to my other friends long enough to see what an incredible woman I had right in front of me. _

_It's my fault that Zack is sitting in a mental institute. I'm the one that asked him to take on the Gold Powers. _

_It's my fault that Billy died. I could have encouraged him to go to Aquitar but I was selfish and wanted him here with us. _

_I'm to blame for Trini's overdose. I didn't see the signs and couldn't be there for her when she needed me. _

_Kim's coma is my fault too. I didn't do enough to convince her to leave that bastard she married._

_Aisha's death seems to be the only thing I didn't cause. How could I when she was fulfilling a dream of hers? Of course she would have stayed in closer contact if it hadn't been for the fact of being captured by Divatox. Which I couldn't prevent. _

_I know that you told me that none of this was my fault. But that's just it. Everything that's happened to the original Rangers, and yes this includes the two of you, Aisha and Kat, is my fault because I was the leader and I should have been able to save all of you, even from yourselves._

_Goodbye. Know that I'm where I belong; where I can't hurt anyone._

_Jason Lee Scott_

"He should have known that none of us believed that he was responsible for any of that stuff," Rocky whispered from where he sat on the ground next to Jason.

"I only hope that since peace eluded him here that he has found it wherever he is now." Adam's quiet voice echoed what Rocky was thinking.

Tommy turned to Dulcea, tears streaming down his face. "Take me back, Dulcea. I can't let this be. I understand now. I really do." He swiped at the tears on his cheeks. "I think I have a lot of work to do. I really need to talk to her don't I?"

"Your gentle Crane has been of low spirits since the letter made its appearance in your lives. She has missed soaring with her Falcon. She needs your help to make her life bearable again."

"I want Kim. I choose her. I chose her all those years ago and I can't stand to be without her anymore." The vehemence in his tone made the warrior smile.

"That is the Falcon I remember from Phaedos. The Falcon who would not stray from those who needed him."

Dulcea waved her hands and Tommy found himself back in his hospital room. He saw Kim sitting next to the bed crying.

"Tommy, please come back to me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what had happened. I'm sorry that you had to find out through Jason and then only through eavesdropping. Please come back. I'll explain, I promise."

"How do I wake up?" he asked, his gaze not wavering from the woman he loved. "What do I say?"

"When I leave, you will wake up. What you say to her is not, however, something that I can tell you. That you must discover for yourself. But I can tell you that the road you have chosen is not going to be an easy one. The two of you have much to repair between you. But do not give up hope. You will succeed if you truly want to."

"I do. Kim needs me. And I need her."

"This is why the Spirit Animals chose the two of you the way they did. You two were destined."

"I need to wake up now, Dulcea. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Be gentle with the Crane. She is wounded and needs healing."

"I will always take care of her."

Dulcea faded away with a satisfied smile on her face. Tommy felt a sharp pull and closed his eyes.

When the pull stopped, Tommy opened his eyes to find himself laying flat on his back. He felt the sore muscles in his legs and back as well as the raging headache. He turned his head to see the caramel colored locks of his favorite gymnast. Her head was bowed and she hadn't seen him open his eyes.

He reached out and touched the top of her head with just his fingertips. She jerked her head up, tears glittering in her eyes and tear tracks evident on her cheeks.

"Tommy!" she breathed.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: **Nope still not mine.

**SUMMARY: **Tommy's awake. Can he and Kim work out the problems they've had in the past?

* * *

"Tommy, you're awake!" Kim's voice was soft as if she didn't have the strength to raise the volume any higher.

"Yeah. I'm awake. And we need to talk, Beautiful." She blushed and tried to bow her head again. "No. Look at me."

"Tommy, please hear me out first." When she looked at him and he nodded, she took a deep breath. "I know that I should have said something about how I was feeling but I was just so scared that if I called you, you'd tell me that you wanted someone else that I couldn't even dial the number half the time. When I wrote that letter, I was only trying to get your attention. I kicked myself every day for sending it the way I did. I couldn't deal with the knowledge that you were in danger and I couldn't help you."

"Kim, I can't just let you keep going. I want you to know that I kick myself every day for not calling you to find out what was going on. For not coming down there and asking you to tell me the same thing to my face if it was true. I thought about doing just that. I thought about teleporting down there and grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you until you admitted to me that you'd made the whole thing up just to get my attention. Something had always told me that you didn't want me to walk away from you like that. My brain knew the truth even though my heart overrode the knowledge. My heart convinced me that you meant every word of it. Hell, even Rocky knew better. He told me at one point that he thought I was an idiot for believing that letter so blindly." He chuckled as he remembered the day Rocky had challenged him after Kim had fled Angel Grove after the tournament.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Tommy, I swear I'm going to kick your butt if you don't pull your head out of it and go after the girl you love," Rocky threatened._

"_Rocko, it wouldn't be a fair fight. You're still injured."_

"_I don't care. You had a good thing with Kim. You didn't see the hurt in her eyes when she saw you hugging Kat. I did. I saw the tears she swiped away. I saw the way she looked around, hoping that no one had noticed. Tommy, she still loves you."_

"_No. She doesn't love me as anything more than a brother. That's what she said in the letter, remember? I do." Tommy was getting mad but trying to stay calm. "She's the one who dumped me. Not the other way around."_

"_Tommy, I don't think she meant one word of that letter. I don't think you believe it either."_

"_Why do you think she sent it then?" _

"_I think she was feeling more than a little neglected. I think that she wanted your attention and instead you just walked away. How many times did you write to her after Christmas?"_

_Tommy had to stop and think for little. His eyes grew wide as he realized that he'd only sent one letter to Kim after Christmas and before her letter. He'd only made three phone calls before the letter. "What have I done?"_

"_Call her." Rocky's voice had softened considerably. "Call her and talk to her. Ask her for yourself."_

_He had. That night, he called her number in Florida only to have her roommate tell him that she was out. _

_**FLASHBACK ENDS**_

"That was when I really gave up. I didn't bother calling again and I didn't hear from you anymore."

"That was right after I'd left. I just couldn't handle it. I figured that nothing was worth it anymore and my mom had told me that I couldn't give up just because I was having a little difficulty. Then, when I went to Orlando, I thought I could just lose myself in the crowds. I started working two jobs just so that I wouldn't have any spare time to think about what I'd given up. Then, it became necessary in order to survive and I really didn't have time to think about what I'd lost. When Jase and Emily found me, I didn't want to tell them about the way I was lucky to be eating twice a day. I was working every hour McDonald's would give me and then going to work at another restaurant. The only meals I ate each day was my freebie from McD's and from the other restaurant. I had no food in my cupboards. Jason showed up at the apartment the day that the building manager had come upstairs to tell me that he'd take care of my back rent as long as I had sex with him. I just couldn't do it. I tried fighting him off but I'd lost so much weight that I had no leverage. Not to mention the fact that he was about Bulk's size. He was so much meaner though."

Tommy reached out a hand and cupped her cheek gently. "Kim, you don't have to tell me anything more right now."

"If I don't say it now, I won't have the courage to later. It took Jason almost three hours to calm me down. Of course, the whole time I was hoping that he wouldn't open the cupboards because I didn't want him to see how empty they were."

"He did, didn't he?"

"Oh yeah. Then, I got the lecture. The 'why didn't you call anyone and ask for help' lecture. It made me start crying all over again. Emily even yelled at him for making me cry."

"Em yelled at him?"

"She's so protective of me. She treats me like a little sister almost as much as Jason does. I continued working both jobs for a while until Em and Jase got established in town. Thankfully, Jason talked to his dad who helped us buy the house we live in. I turned the basement into a separate apartment. It wasn't too long after that that we opened the dojo/gymnastics center. I was so grateful to Jason for letting me have an area for my gymnastics that I cried for hours. Emily cried with me and he just didn't know what to do with the two of us."

Tommy could picture poor Jason trying to deal with two sobbing women. "So you and Emily are good friends?"

"The best. It's almost like seeing me with Trini or Aisha again. At least that's what Jason says. Em and I are always going to the mall or any one of a dozen other places to shop. And since the center's doing so very well, we have plenty to spend. Of course, I'm already working on spoiling my new niece or nephew. The baby's room has so many stuffed animals in it already that they've got four of those neat toy hammock thingys in each of three corners. Not to mention all the ones that sit in the crib already. It's a good thing that the baby's not due for another month or two. There's no room in the crib!" Kim giggled at that and then caught at her head.

"What's wrong?"

"I just have a little headache. The doctor says I was tossing and turning kind of heavy for the last few hours that I was out. He says I may have hit my head on the railing for the bed."

Tommy's overprotective side reared its head. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"The doctor says I'm fine. Just a headache. Of course, you scaring fifteen or twenty years off my life doesn't help matters any."

Tommy smiled at her. "I'm sorry I was out so long. I had a couple of things to work out in my head. Thankfully, I had some help."

"Really? From who?"

"Dulcea. She felt a need to 'mend my broken wings', as she put it." He chuckled again but sobered quickly as he remembered everything that Dulcea had shown him. "She showed me what would have happened to you guys if I had never joined the team. Everything was just so wrong. I can't help but think about how wrong it all was."

"What was it, Tommy?"

"Just everything. I'll tell you all about it sometime. For right now, just tell me one thing."

"What?" she asked moving to the edge of her chair.

"Just tell me that this is reality. I don't think I could bear it if the other was real."

"Does this feel real to you, handsome?" Kim asked as she stood up and pressed a gentle kiss to Tommy's forehead.

He smiled. "As real as it gets."


End file.
